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One chocolate cupcake with a bite missing.
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The Best Chocolate Cupcakes

These are the best chocolate cupcakes. They are super moist chocolate spongy cupcakes with a soft and creamy chocolate cream cheese frosting.
Prep Time45 minutes
Cook Time18 minutes
Decorating Time15 minutes
Total Time1 hour 18 minutes
Servings: 12 cupcakes
Calories: 431kcal
Author: Stephanie Rutherford

Ingredients

Chocolate Cupcakes

  • 3/4 cup All-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 TBSP Cornstarch
  • 1/3 cup Unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 tsp Baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp Baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp Salt
  • 1/3 cup Oil canola or vegetable
  • 1/3 cup White granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup Brown sugar packed light or dark
  • 2 Large eggs room temperature
  • 1 tsp Pure vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp White vinegar
  • 1/3 cup Buttermilk room temperature
  • 1/3 cup Sour cream room temperature
  • 1/3 cup Hot water steaming

Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

  • 1 1/2 cups Unsalted butter room temperature
  • 8 oz Cream cheese room temperature
  • 3 cups Powdered sugar sifted
  • 2/3 cup Unsweetened cocoa powder sifted
  • 1 tsp Pure vanilla extract
US - Metric

Instructions

Chocolate Cupcakes

  • Preheat the oven to 350℉. Line a 12 cup cupcake pan with cupcake liners. Set aside.
  • In a large bowl, mix the flour, cocoa powder, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
    3/4 cup All-purpose flour, 1 1/2 TBSP Cornstarch, 1/3 cup Unsweetened cocoa powder, 1 tsp Baking powder, 1/2 tsp Baking soda, 1/2 tsp Salt
  • In a separate bowl, mix the oil, sugar, brown sugar, eggs, vanilla, vinegar, buttermilk, and sour cream. Then, slowly add in the hot water and mix while adding.
    1/3 cup Oil, 1/3 cup White granulated sugar, 1/4 cup Brown sugar, 2 Large eggs, 1 tsp Pure vanilla extract , 1 tsp White vinegar, 1/3 cup Buttermilk, 1/3 cup Sour cream, 1/3 cup Hot water
  • Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Use a whisk to mix until most of the flour lumps are mixed in.
  • Use a large cookie scoop to scoop the batter, fill each cupcake liner about 2/3rds full.
  • Bake for 16-19 minutes. Bake until a toothpick inserted comes out clean or with moist crumbs.
  • Let the cupcakes sit in the hot pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. Cool the cupcakes completely before decorating.

Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

  • In a large bowl, sift the powdered sugar and cocoa powder together. Set aside.
    3 cups Powdered sugar, 2/3 cup Unsweetened cocoa powder
  • Using a mixer, beat the butter and cream cheese together on high speed for 2 minutes. Use a rubber spatula to scrape the bowl.
    1 1/2 cups Unsalted butter, 8 oz Cream cheese
  • Add in half of the powdered sugar and mix on low speed until combined. Add in the rest of the powdered sugar and mix on low speed. Then, add in the vanilla and mix on high speed until creamy. Make sure to scrape the bowl so the butter is all mixed in.
    1 tsp Pure vanilla extract
  • Decorate the cupcakes. I used the Wilton tip 1M to frost these cupcakes.

Notes

Flour- Make sure flour is spooned and leveled or use a kitchen scale. Compacted flour can dry out the cupcakes.
High altitude baking- Add an extra 1 TBSP of flour.
Pull out dairy ingredients 2 hours before baking.

Nutrition

Calories: 431kcal | Carbohydrates: 54g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 38g | Saturated Fat: 20g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 12g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 85mg | Sodium: 252mg | Potassium: 173mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 1014IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 73mg | Iron: 1mg